Top Research Award For Whooping Cough Study, Royal College Of General Practitioners, UK

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Ear, Nose and Throat
Article Date: 06 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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A study urging doctors to be more alert to the signs of whooping cough in school age children has won the 2006 Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)/Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (MSD) Research Paper of the Year Award. The authors will be presented with a cheque for £1000 at the RCGP on Wednesday 6 June 2007.

Led by Dr Anthony Harnden FRCGP, a GP and lecturer at Oxford University, the study1 took blood samples from 172 children aged 5-16 years in the Oxfordshire area who had previously presented to their GP with a persistent cough lasting 14 days or more.

The study found that of these 172 participants, 64 had evidence of a recent Bordetella pertussis infection, the bacterium that causes whooping cough. 85.9% of these (55n) had been fully immunised against whooping cough, although immunisation or infection do not guarantee lifelong immunity.

The authors of the study noted that whooping cough is often an infection commonly associated with very young children presenting with the trademark 'whoop'. They concluded that GPs should consider diagnosing more school age children presenting with a cough lasting more than two weeks as whooping cough sufferers.

Although there is little evidence of the efficacy of prescribing drugs for whooping cough after the infection has been contracted two weeks previously, diagnosis would give children and parents an idea of the duration of the cough and prevent inappropriate investigations and treatment.

Over 30 academic papers were submitted for in-depth discussion by the panel of assessors chaired by Professor Greg Rubin. The winning study was chosen because of the clarity, rigour and relevance for all practitioners, with clear presentation coupled with commendable transparency about methods and findings.

Professor Greg Rubin said: "This study addresses a problem encountered in general practice on a daily basis, that of the child with a cough. The messages are important for us as GPs. We should think about pertussis in children whose cough has persisted for two weeks or more, because if it is the cause, we can tell the parents that the cough is likely to be protracted. We are less likely to misdiagnose, and therefore mistreat the problem as asthma. Lastly we can consider the possible risk of transmission to newborn siblings."

MSD has provided financial support for this award. Chris Round, Managing Director of MSD, said: "We are proud to support the Research Paper of the Year Award. It is encouraging to know that a large amount of high quality research is taking place within general practice and primary care. We fully support the aims and objectives of this award and hope that even more general practitioners and members of the primary care team will become actively involved in research."

The RCGP/Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited Research Paper of the Year Award is designed to raise the profile of research in general practice and give recognition to an individual or group of researchers who have undertaken and published an exceptional piece of research relating to general practice.

1. Harnden A, Grant C, Harrison T, Perera R, Brueggemann AB, Mayon-White R, Mant D. "Whooping cough in school age children with persistent cough: prospective cohort study in primary care". British Medical Journal, July 2006 (333), 174-177.

2. Further information on whooping cough can be found on the Health Protection Agency website. www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/whoopingcough/gen_info.htm

The Royal College of General Practitioners is the largest membership organisation in the United Kingdom solely for GPs. It aims to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and to act as the "voice" of GPs on issues concerned with education; training; research; and clinical standards. Founded in 1952, the RCGP has over 27,000 members who are committed to improving patient care, developing their own skills and promoting general practice as a discipline.

http://www.rcgp.org.uk

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (MSD) is the UK subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, USA, a leading research-based pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of innovative pharmaceutical products to improve human health.

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